Amazon launches Alexa+ in the UK

Amazon is introducing its AI-powered conversational assistant, Alexa+, in the UK, making it the first country outside North America to receive the upgraded assistant.

The company is offering UK users early access to Alexa+ for free. Customers who purchase a new Amazon Echo device will receive an invitation to join the early access program, and Amazon plans to roll it out to hundreds of thousands of users in the coming weeks.

After the early access phase ends, Alexa+ will be included at no additional cost for Prime subscribers, while non-Prime users will need to pay £19.99 per month. Amazon has not yet announced when the early access program will conclude.

Alexa+ is compatible with Amazon’s latest Echo devices, Fire TV, and the Alexa app, and it can maintain conversational context across different devices. The company also plans to expand support to web browsers.

Amazon says it has tailored Alexa+ specifically for UK users, enabling it to understand local context, accents, and commonly used phrases. The company noted that teams in its Cambridge tech hub, including engineers, linguists, and speech scientists, used techniques such as reinforcement learning, accent-neutral speech models, and regional data embeddings to improve its understanding of British users.

Users will be able to request recommendations from services like OpenTable, JustEat, and Treatwell, and access news from outlets including The Independent, The Guardian, the Press Association, and Future Publishing.

Amazon first introduced Alexa+ in February 2025, but its rollout has progressed gradually. By June, more than one million users in the U.S. had gained access, and last month it became available to all U.S. users. Early access programs have also been launched in Canada and Mexico.

More recently, Amazon added customisation features, allowing users to choose different response styles. It also introduced a “Sassy” mode intended for adults, although the assistant does not support explicit or NSFW content.